Better hurry, they look like they are about to be added to the next ban list.
b) Semi-automatic military service firearms
The panel analyzed numerous examples of semi-automatic rifles, most of which had been designed for military use before or during the Second World War.
These firearms tend to share several characteristics. They are semi-automatic firearms. They have magazines that are either attached box magazines and / or detachable magazines. Many are reloaded using 'stripper clips' (a speedloader that holds several cartridges together in a single unit for easier and faster loading of a firearm magazine). Most of these rifles were designed for military use. In their original configurations, many are relatively long, heavy firearms that fire full-powered cartridges. There are exceptions to this broad characterization of these firearms. For example, the M1 carbine is a compact rifle originally designed with a detachable large-capacity magazine.
Most of the semi-automatic service firearms on the gap list are capable of sustained rapid fire and were produced to arm militaries during the Second World War and the Cold War. Some were sold off as surplus into the civilian market. In other cases, manufacturers produced these models for the civilian market after the guns had largely ceased to be used by military forces.
For a list of the semi-automatic military service rifles on the gap list see
Annex #2.
Conclusion
The panel believes that additional firearms from the gap list should be declared to be prohibited by regulatory amendment. This should be done in a way that minimizes the impact on people who are reliant on harvesting game to support themselves and their families, particularly Indigenous peoples.
The panel also strongly recommends that the Government of Canada undertake a comprehensive overhaul of the firearm classification system. The origin of the current regulatory system for classifying long guns dates from the late 1960s. In the last half century, the classification system has become complex and unwieldly. Some firearms are determined to be restricted or prohibited by virtue of characteristics such as barrel length or firing mechanism. Others have been declared as restricted or prohibited by regulation. Bill C-21 established a new technical definition of a prohibited firearm, but this definition only applies to firearms designed and manufactured after 15 December 2023.
The panel believes that this regulatory regime has produced one of the most complex systems of firearm classification in the world. This poses challenges for law enforcement, the Canadian Firearm Program, firearm users, government officials, and lawmakers. It provides opportunities for potentially dangerous models of firearms to enter the Canadian market. The panel thus strongly urges the federal government to undertake a comprehensive revision of the firearm classification system to ensure that Canadians remain safe from wrongdoers armed with dangerous firearms. The panel agrees with the Mass Casualty Commission, which recommended that the federal government "reform the classification system for firearms and develop a standardized schedule and definitions of prohibited firearms within the Criminal Code of Canada, with an emphasis on simplicity and consistency."
Footnote vi The panel members would welcome the opportunity to participate in a review of the classification system.
Finally, the panel members wish to extend gratitude to the government officials who assisted them in completing their work. Officials demonstrated professionalism and a deep technical knowledge of firearms, the classification system, and the FRT. They quickly responded to requests from the panel for additional information. In doing so, they provided unbiased data and analysis, and did not seek to influence the panel's findings.
Annex 2 – Semi-automatic military service firearms
Firearms with detachable magazines
- Tokarev SVT 1938 and Tokarev SVT 1940
- Smith & Wesson M1940D
- Sig SK 46
- Mauser 1915 Automatic Rifle
- MAS 1928
- MAS 1944/1949/1956
- US M1 Carbine
- Ljungman AG42
- German Service Rifle G43
- CZ ZH29
- CZ VZ 52
- Breda PG
- HAFDAS Ballester Rigaud
- Volks Gewehr VG1-5
Firearms with non-detachable magazines
- Farquhar & Hill
- Johnson Automatics 1941
- MAS 1940
- Maroszek Wz38M
- US M1 Garand
- German Service Rifle G41
- FN SAFN1949
Firearms requiring further study
- Simonov SKS 1945 in its original form did not use a detachable magazine. More recent designs with detachable magazines should be either restricted or prohibited.
